Secondary clock.



A. L. SOHM.

SECONDARY CLOCK. APPLICATION FILED OUT. 29, 1910.

1,049,004, Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

WFYK

A bf/0777,6445

UNITED sTArnsrATENr OFFICE.

ALFRED L. SOHM, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO SOI-IM ELECTRICSIGNAL & RECORDING COMPANY, OF SPOKANE, WASHING'1 ON, A CORPORATION OFARIZONA.

SECONDARY CLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec.31,1912.

Application filed October 29, 1910. Serial No. 589,673.

To all whom it may concern:

3e it known that I, Annual) l). SoiIM. a citizen of the United States.residing at Los .\ngeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State oftalifornia, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inSecondary (lot-ks. of which the following is a full, clear, concise, andexact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to secondary clocks, such as are operated from amaster clock by means of an electric current, and its object is toprovide a simple, inexpensive and reliable structure.

My invention is a radical departure from the prior art in thatcomplicated pawl and ratchet mechanisms are entirely dispensed with, asimple cam mechanism being substituted therefor. In this regard one ofthe salient prior art structures, where pawl and ratchet mechanisms wereused, itwas attempted, in order to avoid under and-overthrow, to lockthe member to be advanced against such action; but this was secured by aresilient, more or less heavy drag upon the member acted upon, and theresult was that the power of the operating mechanism had to be increasedto overcon'ie the drag, and the same difliculty would again presentitself. It is a feature of my present invention that positive lockingmeans'are provided and that merely a weak spring is employed to bringthe locking mechanism into effect. I

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichligure 1 is a side elevational view of the structure. part being cut awayto reveal the construction: Fig. 2 is an isolated plan view of theoperating mechanism; and Fig. 3 is an isolated view taken on line 33 ofFig. 1.

Like reference characters are applied to the same parts throughout thevarious figures.

The clock casing is shown at 4. The operating mechanism is mounted upona structural frame 5 secured to lugs 6, 6 on the inside of the casing bymeans of screws 7. 7. The structural support 5 carries a dial 8 directlyupon its face and in front of this dial the casing 1 is provided with anopening 9 in which a glass cover 10 is held by means of theframe 11.Secured to the supporting frame 5 and extending rearwardly therefrom isthe bracket 12, held in place by means of screws 13, 13, this bracketcarrying the upright secondary bracket let, held in place by means ofthe screw 15. Mounted in the bracket 1 k and extending through anopening in the support 5 is a spindle 15, which, on its rear end,carriesa disk 16, which will be referred to in detail later. The spindle15, at its front end, is squared as shown at 17, and there carries theminute hand 18, which is thus disposed in front of the dial 8, a staypin19 being provided to hold the minute hand in place. The spindle 15carries a pinion 20 meshing with the gear 21, which gear is securelymounted upon a countershaft mounted in the support and the bracket 14.Also twelve revolutions of the spindle 15; this I means that the minutehand will make the proper number of revolutions relative/to the hourhand.

Mounted upon the rear of the bracket 12 is a supporting plate 28 ofmagnetic material, this plate being held in place by means of the screws29, 29. Extending upwardly from theplate 28 is a magnetic core 30 ofsoft iron, this core terminating in the horizontal supporting plate 31,also of magnetic material so as to form a part of the magnetic circuitwhich Will be referred to. The energizing winding 32 is wound upon thecore 30 between the rubber or fiber heads 33, 33, the terminals of thisWinding being connected with a cable 34 passing from the clock casing 4by way of an opening 35. The lower supporting plate 28 is bifurcated, asshown at 36, 36, the armature 37 being mounted between these two endsupon the spindle trunnions 38, 38. At the top the armature 37 itself isbifurcated and there has pivoted thereto, upon the pivot 39, a link 10,which, by means of a swivel into engagement with the stud the shuttlebolt 41, is connected with the shuttle 42 mounted for reciprocationunder the strap 41;) held in place upon the horizontal supporting plate31 by means of screws 44, The shuttle 4-2 is provided with a cam surface15, which will be referred to later, and is also provided with a forwardextension in the form of a pin 46, disposed in proximity to the disk 16near the periphery thereof. The pin 46 is held against the stud 47,secured in the supporting plate 31, by means of a leaf spring 48,extending from the post 4-9 secured in the plate 31. From Fig. 2 it willappear that the leaf spring 48 holds the shuttle 4.2 in a definite pathduring its reciprocation. The position shown in full lines in Figs. 1and 2 is the normal position. I

As shown in the drawings, the disk 16 is provided near its peripherywith a plurality, preferably sixty, of openings 50, 50, arrangedcircularly and concentrically with the disk itself. These openings areso positioucd that they may come opposite the pin 16 on the shuttle 4-2,and, as well, in aline ment with a locking stud 51 carried upon aplunger 52 reciprocating in a cylinder 53. This cylinder is suitablysecured to the support 5 and is provided with a coiled spring 5:4, whichtends to move the plunger 52 outwardly, this movement being limited bythe engagementof the pin 55 on the plunger with the ends of the slot 56in the cylinder. It will appear from Fig. 2 that the spring 54 tends tohold the plunger 52 in engagement with the forward side of disk 16 and.if one of openings 50, 50 is in alinement therewith, to hold thelockingstud 51 in such opening. The disk, the locking stud 51 and thepin 46, are so arranged that when the shuttle is in its nor mal positionthe locking stud will extend into one of the openings in the disk andwill be in alinement with the pin 46.

The core 30, the supporting plate 31, the armature 37 and the supportingplate 28, constitute the magnetic circuit. The shuttle 42 is made ofnon-magnetic material and it will appear from Fig. 1 that when thewinding 32 is energized the armature 37 will swing counter clockwiseabout the pivot. 38 so as to bring the shuttle 42 forwardly. Sincenormally the pin 46 is in alinement with openings in the disk and withthe locking stud 51, such energization of the winding will cause the pinto enter I the particular opening and to force the looking stud 51 outof engagement therein. It will appear from Fig. 2 that as the Windingisenergized the cam surface 45 on the shut-' tle approaches the stud 4:7,and it is apparent that after the cam surface has come will be forcedupwardly, swinging about the swivel bolt 41. The bridge formed by thestrap 43 is of such length as to provide for such movement. The pin 46is of such length and the cam surface 45 is so disposed that the shuttle42 will be confined to translatory movementuntil after the locking stud51 has entirely been released from the. disk 16. Then the cam surface 45engages the stud 47 and the shuttle is moved upwardly into the positionshown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2. This rotates the disk 16 and themovement of the armature 37 is preferably so adjusted that the disk 16will be rotated only far enough to bring the next succeeding opening 50into alinement with the locking stud 51. In fact, the locking stud willsnap into the next opening 50 and will arrest any further movement ofthe disk at that time. The plunger may be moved manually by pin insetting.

The armature 37 is provided with an adjusting screw 57, in the end ofwhich engages the end of the supporting member 31, a lock nut 57 beingprovided to hold the adjusting screw in any desired position. Thisadjusting screw may be set in such a way that a disk with any number ofholes maybe properly operated and I wish to be understood ascontemplating any combination between the throw of the armature and thenumber of openings in the disk that might be desired in any particularinstance. As shown in the drawings, the openings 50. 50 are countersunkso as to guide the pin 46 properly into the restricted part of theopenmg.

Since the spindle 15 carries the minute hand and the disk 16, it isclear that if the disk has sixty openings and if the winding 32 isenergized once every minute through a circuit properly controlled by amaster clock, the minute hand 18 .will act in synchronism with theminute hand of the master clock, while the hour hand 27 will, by way ofthe gear train described, follow in the proper manner.

It is to be noted that my invention provides for absolutely locking thedisk 16 againstunder and overthrow, this being accomplished by means ofthe plunger arrangement described. I consider this matter of greatimportance, since one of the most serious disadvantages of the prior artstructures is overcome by my invention in this respect. In order toavoid under and over throw in prior devices, where pawl and ratchetmechanisms were used, it was usual "o employ a detent pawl held inengagement with the ratchet by a stout spring so as to place a drag uponthe ratchet. In order that the ratchet could be moved under this drag itwas necessary to provide a strong electromagnet and to give the armaturea considerable throw so that the mechanism would be effective insecuring the advance of the ratchet.

This, however, was

places no drag upon the disk and once hav-' ing placed the plunger inproper engagement with the disk its. necessary function ceases.

In addition to the advantages above pointed out, it will appear that thevarious operating parts of the structure of my invention are easy ofaccess and are so individually constructed that they may be readilyrepaired and replaced. Adjustment is secured in a convenient manner andthe friction its operation is reduced to a minimum.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a secondary clock, a member mounted on an axis, an electromagnet,a shuttle reciprocating substantially parallel to said axis, means onsaid shuttle for engaging said rotary member, and means for throwingsaid shuttle out of its translatory path when it is in engagement withsaid rotary member so as to advance said rotary member.

2. In a secondary clock, a member mounted to rotate upon an axis, anelectromagnet,

a member reciprocating substantially paral lel to said axis by theaction of said electromagnet, said member being thus adapted to engagesaid rotary member intermittently, and means for throwing saidreciprocating member out of its translatory path when it is inengagement with said rotary member so as to advance said rotary member.

' 3. In a secondary clock, in combination, a rotary member, anelectromagnet, a mem ber reciprocated by the action of saidelectromagnet, said member being adapted to engage said rotary member,and means for throwing said reciprocating member out of its translatorypath when it is in operative engagement with said rotary member so as toadvance said rotary member.

.4. In a secondary clock, in combination, a shaft, a disk mounted onsaid shaft, an electromagnet, a shuttle operated by said electromagnet,said shuttle being adapted to thus intermittently engage said disk, andmeans for throwing said shuttle out of its translatory path when it isin operative engagement with said disk.

5. In a secondary clock, in combination, a rotary member, anelectromagnet, a reciprocating member operated by said electromagnet, anengaging part carried by said reciprocating member, locking meansnormally in engagement with said rotary member for holding said memberagainst rotation in either direction, andmeans whereby saidreciprocating member may cause said engaging part to directly engagesaid locking means to release said rotary member therefrom and engagesaid rotary member to advance it.

6. In a secondary clock, in combination, a rotary member,anelectromagnet, a re ciprocat-ing member operated by saidelectromagnet, an engaging part on said reciprocating member, positivelocking means normally in engagement with said rotary member, and meanswhereby said engaging part may directly engage said locking means torelease said rotary member therefrom and directly engage said rotarymember to advance it.

7. In a secondary clock, in combination, a rotary disk, anelectromagnet, a shuttle operated by said electromagnet, an engagingently held in a position to positively prevent rotation of the disk,energization of said electromagnet causing the movement of said shuttleto cause said engaging part to engage said locking member and move itfrom the path of said disk and to engage said disk to advance it.

S. In a secondary clock, in combination, a shaft, a disk having aplurality of apertures circularly arranged near the periphery thereofmounted, on said shaft, an electromagnet, a shuttle having back andforth movement operated by said electro-magnet and being arranged toengage in said apertures upon the energization of the electro magnet,and means for moving said shuttle from its translatory path to carrysaid disk about the axis thereof.

9. In a secondary clock, in combination, a rotary disk,- anelectromagnet, a shuttle operated by said electromagnet, a point on saidshuttle, said disk having a plurality of apertures near the peripherythereof arranged to come into alinement with said point on said shuttle,a locking plunger held in the opening in alinement with said pointby aWeak spring, energization of said electromagnet causing said point toenter the aperture in alinement therewith to remove said locking plungertherefrom, and means for shifting said shuttle to move said disk aboutthe axis thereof.

' 10. In a secondary clock, in combination, a member to be advanced, anelectromagnet having a metal supporting member at each end, an armaturepivoted to one of said metal members and extending lengthwise of theelectromagnet, being arranged to be at tracted to the other metalsupporting member, a shuttle mounted to reciprocate upon the last namedsupporting member, said shuttle being arranged for intermittentengagement with said member to be advanced. 1

and a loose link between the free end of said armature and said shuttle.

llfIn a secondary clock, in combination,

part on said shuttle, and a member resilia member to be advanced, anelectromagnet' having a metal supporting member at each end, an armaturepivoted to one of said metal members and extending lengthwise of theelectromagnet, being arranged to be attracted to the other metalsupporting mem- 4 adjusting the air gap between the armature and saidlast named supporting member.

12. In a secondary clock, in combination, arotary member, anelectromagnet, a supporting plate mounted on the end of saidelectromagnet, a shuttle mounted to reciprocate on said supportingplate, a stud in said supporting plate, a spring for holding saidshuttle against said stud, a pointon said shuttle normally held againstsaid stud, and a cam surface on said shuttle for engagement with saidstud so as to move said shuttle laterally.

13. In a secondary clock, in combination, a dial, a shaft, a minute handon said shaft, a disk on said shaft, a pinion on said shaft, a sleeve onsaid shaft, an hour hand held upon said sleeve by friction, gearconmotion between said sleeve and said shaft, an electromagnet, ashuttle mounted to be reciprocated by said electromagnet parallel tosaid shaft, said shuttle being adapted to intermittently engage saiddisk, and means for throwing said shuttle out of its translatory pathwhile it is in engagement with said disk.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 21st day ofOctober, A. D. 1910.

ARTHUR H. BoE'rroHER, ALBERT G. MoGALEs.

